In the next ten years, about 40 to 50 percent of the transportation workforce is expected to retire with the influx of the “Baby Boomer” generation to the retirement pool. As such, there is the need for investments in programs that encourage younger generations to pursue careers in transportation. Evidence in research has shown that students are more likely to choose transportation as a specialization if they are better informed about the profession. As a strategic endeavor for workforce development, the objective of this project is to develop practical alternatives of outreach programs for Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) to use in encouraging K-12 students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields, especially those that are transportation related. This work aims to capitalize on existing resources within the agency, the state of Georgia, as well as initiatives in other parts of the country to design outreach programs that are feasible for GDOT.
Research Team:
PIs: Adjo Amekdzi-Kennedy (Ph.D.)
Co-PIs: Yanzhi Ann Xu (PhD) & Audrey Leons
Graduates Researchers: Margaret Avis Akofio-Sowah & Stefanie Brodie
Undergraduate Research: Valerie Curtis
Publication:
Amekudzi-Kennedy, A., Akofio-Sowah, M., Brodie, S. R., and Y. Xu. Review and Business Case Analysis of Transportation-STEM Programs with State DOT Involvement. Proceedings of the 2016 Annual Conference of the Transportation Research Board, Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C.